CONTEXT AND OUTCOMES OF SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING AMONG IMMIGRANTS, WHO PARTICIPATE IN ACTIVITIES OF COMMUNAL ORGANIZATIONS

Background:Over the past decades, global migration flows increased significantly. For example, in 2010 there were 32.5 million foreigners in the EU-27. The majority of them, 20.2 million, were third-country nationals, while the remaining 12.3 million were citizens of another Member State (Vasileva, 2011). The increase of migration trends is also noted in Lithuania. According to the data of Lithuanian Migration Department at the beginning of 2013 33,267 foreigners lived in Lithuania. After coming to a new country, immigrants face social, political, economic, cultural and educational integration problems. The solution of them may be reflected through self-directed learning, which could be useful to immigrant integration. This type of learning stimulates immigrants to design and manage the learning purposefully with or without the help of others. The self-directed learning states assumptions to analyze personal values, attitudes and reflect personal emotions, which create preconditions to make decisions regarding immigrants’ integration. In this way, learners develop their human and social capital. The relevance of self-directed learning among immigrants is studied by Nugraha (2004), Igoudin (2008), Chang (2010), Kang (2011), who highlight learning experiences, motives and environments. But there is still a lack of systematic research about the context and outcomes of self-directed learning among immigrants, who are involved in activities of communal organizations.

Research question:What is the context of self-directed learning among immigrants, who participate in activities of communal organizations, and dimensions of self-directed learning outcomes?Aim is to describe the experiences of self-directed learning of immigrants, who participate in the activities of communal organizations.Sample. 13 immigrants, who came to Lithuania from non-EU countries seeking to study at a higher education school, to carry out a lawful activity (work), and / or in a case of family reunification, participated in research.

Findings:The context of self-directed learning among immigrants incorporates individualized help of communal organizations and value of social activity, social and ethnic balance of immigrant participation possibility, and social relationships. The expression of self-directed learning among immigrants in communal organizations is characterized by dimensions of self-realization and multicultural education of immigrants.

Conclusion:It is significant to integrate the following three conditions into the context of self-directed learning among immigrants: 1) readiness of communal organizations to meet the individual needs of immigrants, 2) personal qualities of immigrants, which enable to act, and 3) social competence, which encourages them to be self-directed learners. Self-directed learning is related to individual level during personal development of immigrants in communal organizations. The hidden outcome of immigrant self-directed learning is manifested at collective and social levels, when they are involved in multicultural education as teachers or training initiators, and develop their own personal multicultural competence as students.